Former names | Roanoke Civic Center |
---|---|
Location | 710 Williamson Road Northeast Roanoke, VA 24016 |
Owner | City of Roanoke |
Operator | Global Spectrum |
Capacity |
Basketball: 9,828 Ice hockey: 8,642 End stage: 10,500 Center stage: 10,600 Eclipse: 4,276 |
Surface | Multi-surface |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 1969 |
Opened | October 3, 1971 |
Renovated | 2007 (Performing Arts Center and Special Events Center addition) 2012–2016 (arena renovations) |
Construction cost | $14 million ($82.8 million in 2016 dollars) |
Architect | Smithey & Boynton Frantz & Chappelear Thompson & Payne |
General contractor | Nello L. Teer Company |
Tenants | |
Virginia Tech Hokies Ice Hockey Roanoke Maroons Ice Hockey Radford Highlanders ice hockey Roanoke Valley Rebels (EHL) (1971–1973) Virginia Squires (ABA) (1971–1972) Roanoke Valley Rebels (SHL) (1973–1976) Roanoke Express (ECHL) (1993–2004) Roanoke Steam (af2) (2000–2002) Roanoke Dazzle (NBADL) (2001–2006) Roanoke Valley Vipers (UHL) (2005–2006) Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (SPHL) (2016–present) |
Berglund Center (originally called the Roanoke Civic Center) is a 9,828-seat multi-purpose arena located in the Williamson Road neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1971. It was the former home to the Roanoke Dazzle basketball team, as well as the Roanoke Express and Roanoke Valley Vipers ice hockey teams. Currently, it is the home of the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs of the Southern Professional Hockey League, Virginia Tech, Radford University and Roanoke College men's ice hockey teams. The arena is also the home of the annual boys basketball games between Roanoke's two city high schools, Patrick Henry High School and William Fleming High School.
Opened in October 1971, the Roanoke Civic Center was also the former home of the American Basketball Association (1967-1976) professional basketball franchise Virginia Squires. The Squires played there (in addition to the Norfolk Scope, Richmond Coliseum and Hampton Coliseum; all within the state of Virginia) from 1971 to 1972. The Virginia Squires used the Civic Center for only one season due to low attendance, before folding in 1976. Elvis Presley performed there in 1972, 1974, 1976, and was due to return in 1977, about a week after his death. It hosted 251 professional wrestling events between 1975 and 2013.WCW held Fall Brawl there in 1994 and Monday Nitro on March 31, 1997. WWE brought Monday Night Raw on December 1, 1997, May 6, 2013, and November 17, 2014. The 1977-1981 Southern Conference men's basketball tournaments were held there as well.